49 U.S.C. § 47101 - Policies

• Cite as: 49 U.S.C. § 47101

(a) GENERAL.-It is the policy of the United States-

(1) that the safe operation of the airport and airway system is the highest aviation priority;

(2) that aviation facilities be constructed and operated to minimize current and projected noise impact on nearby communities;

(3) to give special emphasis to developing reliever airports;

(4) that appropriate provisions should be made to make the development and enhancement of cargo hub airports easier;

(5) to encourage the development of intermodal connections on airport property between aeronautical and other transportation modes and systems to serve air transportation passengers and cargo efficiently and effectively and promote economic development;

(6) that airport development projects under this subchapter provide for the protection and enhancement of natural resources and the quality of the environment of the United States;

(7) that airport construction and improvement projects that increase the capacity of facilities to accommodate passenger and cargo traffic be undertaken to the maximum feasible extent so that safety and efficiency increase and delays decrease;

(8) to ensure that nonaviation usage of the navigable airspace be accommodated but not allowed to decrease the safety and capacity of the airspace and airport system;

(9) that artificial restrictions on airport capacity-

(A) are not in the public interest;

(B) should be imposed to alleviate air traffic delays only after other reasonably available and less burdensome alternatives have been tried; and

(C) should not discriminate unjustly between categories and classes of aircraft;

(10) that special emphasis should be placed on converting appropriate former military air bases to civil use and identifying and improving additional joint-use facilities;

(11) that the airport improvement program should be administered to encourage projects that employ innovative technology (including integrated in-pavement lighting systems for runways and taxiways and other runway and taxiway incursion prevention devices), concepts, and approaches that will promote safety, capacity, and efficiency improvements in the construction of airports and in the air transportation system (including the development and use of innovative concrete and other materials in the construction of airport facilities to minimize initial laydown costs, minimize time out of service, and maximize lifecycle durability) and to encourage and solicit innovative technology proposals and activities in the expenditure of funding pursuant to this subchapter;

(12) that airport fees, rates, and charges must be reasonable and may only be used for purposes not prohibited by this subchapter; and

(13) that airports should be as self-sustaining as possible under the circumstances existing at each particular airport and in establishing new fees, rates, and charges, and generating revenues from all sources, airport owners and operators should not seek to create revenue surpluses that exceed the amounts to be used for airport system purposes and for other purposes for which airport revenues may be spent under section 47107(b)(1) of this title, including reasonable reserves and other funds to facilitate financing and cover contingencies.

(b) NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION POLICY.-

(1) It is a goal of the United States to develop a national intermodal transportation system that transports passengers and property in an efficient manner. The future economic direction of the United States depends on its ability to confront directly the enormous challenges of the global economy, declining productivity growth, energy vulnerability, air pollution, and the need to rebuild the infrastructure of the United States.

(2) United States leadership in the world economy, the expanding wealth of the United States, the competitiveness of the industry of the United States, the standard of living, and the quality of life are at stake.

(3) A national intermodal transportation system is a coordinated, flexible network of diverse but complementary forms of transportation that transports passengers and property in the most efficient manner. By reducing transportation costs, these intermodal systems will enhance the ability of the industry of the United States to compete in the global marketplace.

(4) All forms of transportation, including aviation and other transportation systems of the future, will be full partners in the effort to reduce energy consumption and air pollution while promoting economic development.

(5) An intermodal transportation system consists of transportation hubs that connect different forms of appropriate transportation and provides users with the most efficient means of transportation and with access to commercial centers, business locations, population centers, and the vast rural areas of the United States, as well as providing links to other forms of transportation and to intercity connections.